


I’ll sweep the stardust for you

by lessix (scrxamitout)



Series: lullabies and apartments [3]
Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: F/F, First Dates, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:40:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28741146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrxamitout/pseuds/lessix
Summary: Catherine Parr was getting ready to leave her apartment.That was because it was the day of their date.orneighbours parrlyn au! part 3
Relationships: Anne Boleyn/Catherine Parr
Series: lullabies and apartments [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778410
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	I’ll sweep the stardust for you

**Author's Note:**

> me, showing up 6 months after I said I was trying to post in a week: hiii  
> anyway, uni was a thing and that kept me bussy, but I'm not planning to leave this (or any fic!) soon, so enjoy this third part  
> a big thank you as always goes to Lexi who's an icon and beta'ed this like she always does and I have no words about how great she is and how much she helps me

Catherine Parr was getting ready to leave her apartment.

The bathroom was decorated with a mix between grey and beige colours as most of her place was. The light was brighter than in other rooms for the sake of her being able to test her makeup before going out. The bathtub was no longer filled, but her nerves hadn’t gone down since before her bath half an hour ago.

Catherine was never the one to be anxious before a date, always trusting herself to be able to manage a conversation and be at ease. Words were, after all, what she did best. But with Anne it was different, words didn’t come out as easily. Even as much as they have talked the first two months, the last two had become full of peaceful silences while Elizabeth took a nap, secret stolen glances and small, electric brushes of fingertips.

That was, until they settled on a day for their date.

Although she was excited for it, she couldn’t help but sense a hurricane of emotions swirling through her. She wished the date hadn’t been pushed back as much but Katherine, Anne’s younger cousin, had been busy with exams and there was no one else to take care of Elizabeth. Parr had suggested that Liz come with them on the date, but the mother denied, insisting that bringing a baby on a date wasn’t the best idea.

So much time to overthink hadn’t helped the situation, she changed her mind about what to do and where to go at least five times in the last week. Everything had to be unforgettable and she couldn’t help but want to impress, to make sure everything was perfect. Catherine was truthfully falling in love, which made her stomach twist with nerves.

She fixed up her makeup and put the finishing touches on her outfit, before grabbing her car keys and purse, checking twice to make sure she was not forgetting anything. At least the trip to Anne’s apartment was going to be a quick one.

“Coming!” A voice came from inside.

A girl, with the ends of her hair dyed pink, and wearing an oversized sweater opened the door.

“You must be Catherine.” The younger one said. “I’m your namesake.”

She extended a hand; which Parr quickly took.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too. Anne is ready, just saying goodbye to Lizzie.”

As she finished talking, the older Boleyn appeared. Bold red lipstick, hair down and form fitting clothes. Catherine’s heart missed a beat as she smiled nervously. Green, piercing eyes staring directly at her. It was finally their moment, the moment the writer had been looking forward to for two months now.

“Ready to go?” She asks.

Catherine only nods. 

* * *

The place she had picked for the date was a small Italian restaurant, close enough to home. The walls are painted in a light crème tone, with different paintings featuring important locations. They sit at a small table, across from each other.

“I don’t know if you like Italian, but I do know you love pizza.” Parr says, smiling.

“I actually really like Italian, and French food.” Anne comments.

“Miss France,” Catherine teases, “how could I not imagine that?”

“It’s being there; at some point you get used to it.” The black-haired woman laughs. “My brother is the only person who didn’t grow used to it, and funny enough he’s still there.”

“Katherine also went to France?”

“No, she was still little. She grew up here, and we used to spend all summers together, even if we are a few years apart.” Boleyn smiles. “She was the first person I told about Elizabeth.”

“Really?” Parr wonders.

“Yes, she adores her. They both adore each other. I’m glad Kit’s exams are over but I don’t think I’ll be able to have alone time with Liz anytime soon now.”

Catherine laughs, as the waiter arrives with the menu. It doesn’t take long for both of them to settle on different plates of pasta, and non-alcoholic beverages. As much as they could use some wine, Anne is too tired and Parr is not going to drink alone. It takes her a second to go back to the conversation, but the writer says:

“I only have my godmother, Aragon, here.” She smiles. “My mother is at Northamptonshire, and my siblings are currently on a trip.”

“Tell me about Aragon.” Boleyn wonders. “You said she has a child, right?”

“Yes! And I swear to you, she’s truthfully so lovely. Her name is Mary, and I used to babysit sometimes when I was in college, sort of how Katherine does now.” Cathy comments. “How are you doing with leaving Elizabeth at home?”

Boleyn winces for a second, and the writer knows exactly what her neighbour is thinking. It’s the first time that they see each other without her baby in the middle and as much as she isn’t complaining, she can imagine how difficult it must be. She has the peace of mind of knowing that it was Anne’s choice, and she trusts her enough to know that if she wanted to go back home, she would say so.

“It’s so weird, it’s the first time I’ve done it.” She smiles, lightly. “But I’m okay, I really trust Kit, we’ve always been really close.”

“You could call her, if you want to, I don’t mind.” Parr offers.

“No, I promise, it's good, I want to focus on you tonight.”

“You flatter me.” Catherine says, an accent more posh than usual.

“I’m glad I do,” Anne answers with a shy smile, “it was the objective after all.”

The chat gets quickly redirected at their childhoods, to then go to a hundred trivial topics.

And it’s so weird how the conversation flows, and Catherine can find herself talking about things that she had long forgotten, tales that she had never told nobody. But it comes easy, familiar, similar to all the times before and, she hopes, all the times after. Because there’s a certain glow on Anne’s eyes, a way she smiles, the distinct way she moves her hands, that she simply trusts her.

Four months.

They have known each other for four months, and that has been enough to trust her. To open up, to know so much —and so little— about the other. And it feels right, it feels natural, as if they were meant to be, as if it was always meant to happen.

And they eat, they drink, they talk, they joke and smile.

It’s so easy to get carried away by it, that the anxiety and nerves she was sensing before are now nowhere to be found. She is curious, wanting to know more at the same time that she feels interested, she is willing to ask a hundred questions and tell a million stories. Catherine thinks she hasn’t felt it for a long time, and it’s so relaxing. So easy on her heart.

Everything with Anne was something she would love to return to.

The moments with her and Elizabeth at the apartment, singing songs and heating bottles. The first night, the anger that was quickly forgotten and put behind them. The way she was a so welcomed intruder in her lives — and them in hers. The words in French, the night time stories and looking for a hundred ways to stop the sobs.

The night is so quickly, that before she can notice Parr is looking for a way to gain a moment more. Anne orders dessert, with a smitten look, as she proceeds to lead the conversation. And Catherine lets herself go, laugh, and be as loud as she wants.

But everything comes to an end, and they split dinner and hop back to the car. As they ride back home, not everything can be perfect. Catherine notices Anne slowly growing colder as they arrive at the building. She wonders if it’s her brain, playing tricks on her after a good night, the anxiety building up on her chest, but by the way the other woman twitches and repositions herself time and time again, she’s almost sure it’s not only her imagination.

“Are you sure you want this?” Boleyn questions, voice barely above a whisper.

For a moment, Catherine’s heart stops. She can feel the blood pumping through her ears, in her quiet way she stutters: “Why are you asking me that?”

“I’m scared I’ll hold you back.” She confesses, her eyes glassy, tears soon to come. “I don’t- I’m a mother, okay? And I can’t just do what I want.”

“I know.” Parr promises.

“Do you? Really?” a dry laugh escapes her lips, “you deserve a grand love story,” she insists.

“Great and big love stories are overrated, you should believe me,” she smiles, “I’m not going to force you, I swear I understand where you’re coming from, and if you decide to end things now, I get it, and I hope we can stay friends. But if you’re willing to try, I want to do it. I want to do this. With you, and with Elizabeth. After all we wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for her.”

“Cathy…”

“I mean it. There’s something about you, something that makes me feel so safe. And I am not one to easily trust people, to easily open up, but each time I talk to you it comes to me. I enjoy how I feel when I’m with you, I enjoy how I am with you. And I adore Elizabeth, and I understand that you’re a mother, and I promise I want to help you, and to be with you. Because I like you.”

In a sudden move, Anne gets closer to her. Catherine can sense her close, so close, in the way that her eyes shine, and she slowly blinks. Parr takes a moment to appreciate that, appreciate her. The eyes filling with hope, the cheeks flustered and pink, the soft touch, brushing their hands. She takes it all in, as if the moment lasts forever.

And maybe it could last forever, maybe they can make it work. Because it is safe, it is similar to getting home after a cold night. It’s the strange sensation of belonging to someone, to the promise of coming home to them. The promise of a future. The promise that they’re willing to give to each other.

She can sense Anne’s hand on her neck, at the same time that a strenuous sound interrupts them.

“Oh!” Katherine reacts. “I’m sorry, I was just going to take out the trash and…”

She looks down to the bag on her hand, and the other two follow with their glaze.

“Is that… a pan?” Cathy asks first.

“I may or may not have burned pumpkin, and it may or may not be impossible to clean.” She explains. “I promise I’ll buy you a new one.”

Anne laughs lightly, taking her daughter from the hands of her cousin: “It’s no problem.”

Katherine looks at Parr and half smiles, slowly turning away in the opposite direction: “I’ll leave you two alone for a second while I take this out. Bye!”

She walks quickly, her pink ponytail moving from side to side, and disappears from their view. The pair focus on each other again, regaining the closeness they shared moments ago.

“I should’ve asked,” Anne starts.

“I didn’t mind it, not in the slightest.”

“Are you really sure you want to do this Catherine?” Her voice is trembling a bit.

“I am sure. I want to be with you, I want this. But you have to be with me in this. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

Boleyn slowly reaches for her, leaving a sweet kiss on her lips. Backing away only to look at her again. And Catherine tries to take it all in, the long eyelashes, the wrinkles around her eyes when she smiles, the way the light impacts on her. It’s easy to get lost in her features, to get lost just observing, trying to memorize and take in every second with her.

“I think I want to give it a chance.”

**Author's Note:**

> come to say hi to my tumblr! (oh-boleyn)  
> also comments and kudos are always nice and tell me if you want me to keep going with this!


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